This fall Denzel Washington is going to play a tough guy with a mysterious past who saves people that are in trouble. No, it's not a sequel to Man on Fire, it's a big screen version of The Equalizer, based on the cult favorite 1980s TV series that starred Edward Woodward as a former CIA agent helping those in need.The first trailer for the film has been released and, as one might expect with Washington reteaming with his Training Day director Antoine Fuqua, this Equalizer promises to be something very different than the original.

PDC

Washington keeps the name Robert McCall, but that's about all we see that's familiar. He plays a retired Black Ops agent who breaks his self-imposed exile to help a young prostitute, played by Chloe Grace Moretz. And as we see in this footage, McCall has a radar-like sense for trouble and a foresight for violence that helps him mop up any situation. When the helpless are in trouble, the Equalizer is there to help take their enemies down brick by brick, dollar by dollar. Sony is banking a lot on this one as they have a sequel already in the works.

Denzel's never had to stretch too far to be cool, which is good because this film isn't asking him to stretch far at all. Still, it could be fun. Co-starring Melissa Leo, Marton Csokas, David Harbour, and Bill Pullman, The Equalizer opens September 26th.

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Travis Hopson is a member of the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association and co-creator of the Punch Drunk Critics website, as well as a regular contributor to a number of entertainment broadcasts.